Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old unused inlet on top.

Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.

Thank you.

On Sun, 12 Jan 2014 14:16:27 -0800 (PST), Newton
wrote:

Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old unused inlet on top.

Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.

Thank you.

I would not even consider this approach. Tampering with the drain
outlet can or may cause leaks - sooner rather than later.

YMMV

On 1/12/2014 4:16 PM, Newton wrote:
Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold
water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would
include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also
would cap old unused inlet on top.

Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have
headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I
prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip
tube.

Seems to me that it might be far simpler to replace the damaged dip tube
with a multi-sectioned replacement fashioned on site.

Cut whatever you must to remove the damaged dip tube and then cut the
replacement into sections that will fit your head room joining them
(dope or solder) as you go.

On Sunday, January 12, 2014 5:16:27 PM UTC-5, Newton wrote:
Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old unused inlet on top.



Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.



Thank you.

If you can get the drain out you can do that. On old hw heaters I often can't get any of the things threaded into the pipe threads off without it stripping most of the thread out. Probably depends on your water quality though. Good luck and let us know if you are successful.

On 1/12/2014 5:16 PM, Newton wrote:
Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old unused inlet on top.

Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.

Thank you.

I was able to do a dip tube with not enough
space, cause it angles in at the top.

To answer your question. I gave it a few
minutes thought, and it should work OK.
YMMV, IANAP.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 1/12/2014 5:31 PM, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
Seems to me that it might be far simpler to replace the damaged dip tube
with a multi-sectioned replacement fashioned on site.

Cut whatever you must to remove the damaged dip tube and then cut the
replacement into sections that will fit your head room joining them
(dope or solder) as you go.

Good moment for a flexible dip tube
with a little bit of a weight on the
bottom. Like chainsaw fuel pickup.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 1/12/2014 5:08 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 1/12/2014 5:31 PM, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
Seems to me that it might be far simpler to replace the damaged dip tube
with a multi-sectioned replacement fashioned on site.

Cut whatever you must to remove the damaged dip tube and then cut the
replacement into sections that will fit your head room joining them
(dope or solder) as you go.

Good moment for a flexible dip tube
with a little bit of a weight on the
bottom. Like chainsaw fuel pickup.

PEX maybe. Depends on the configuration and materials used in the dip
tube inlet.

There's always a couple of ways to skin that cat.

On 01/12/2014 04:16 PM, Newton wrote:
Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old unused inlet on top.

Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.

Thank you.




The reason it's heavy is simply because it's full of water.
If you drain it, it will be no problem to tilt.

Philo - I installed the thing myself. 75 gal AO Smith. It's heavy empty. Trust me.

On Sun, 12 Jan 2014 17:22:34 -0600, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:

PEX maybe. Depends on the configuration and materials used in the dip
tube inlet.


Hornswoggle.

There's always a couple of ways to skin that cat.


Not with PEX. I'll await your solution tough.

On 1/12/2014 7:06 PM, Oren wrote:
On Sun, 12 Jan 2014 17:22:34 -0600, Unquestionably Confused
wrote:

PEX maybe. Depends on the configuration and materials used in the dip
tube inlet.


Hornswoggle.

Explain? PEX is a substitute for copper in home plumbing systems. It
can be joined to plastic pipe or copper and, obviously, is rated for
potable water systems.



There's always a couple of ways to skin that cat.


Not with PEX. I'll await your solution tough.

Again, explain. Don't just stand there and stamp your feet. There may
be a valid reason but " No, because I said so," doesn't mean squat, Oren

On Sun, 12 Jan 2014 14:16:27 -0800 (PST), Newton
wrote:

Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old unused inlet on top.

Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.

Thank you.

How much headroom do you have?

I think 18 inches is easily enough, and now that the topic has come up,
I think my 10" would be enough. I'll just have to bend the dip tube a
little more. It is once clear plastic, now dirty everywhere

I had an A.O Smith water heater, and now I have a Sears WH. I think
it's made by AOSmith because it's the only one I could find that has the
input and output the same distance apart as the original. And the
owners' manuals were very similar with the same drawings and pictures,
iirc.

When I tore the first Sears one apart, I saved the dip tub and it's
pretty flexible. I have a big storage shelf hanging from the ceiling
above the WH so I only have about 10" head room and I think it would be
enough. Like Chris says, you put it in at an angle until in my case,
only 10" are left.

My dip tube goes to the bottom and then towards the permimeter, and then
bends to swirl the water around the bottom, which iirc is suppose to
pick up sediment** The last 2" are molded into a sort of nozzle. But
before you replace a diptube, if the replacment is not symmetric, find
out how yours is oriented, and mark the top of the tube so you can
orient it as intended. In my case that would mean not pointing the
open end to the center or the outside, but parallel to the outside so it
made the water swirl.

** (although that would clog screens too? Maybe the idea is to swirl
it around when it is still microscopic, so it exits with the hot water,
and it's too small to clog anything?? ) When I tore the second water
htr apart after 8 years (probably a mistake to replace it. Maybe only
electrical parts were bad and I got confused, or maybe the dip tube had
come off (there is damage at the top, but I might have made that during
destruction.) there were only about 2 or 3 tablespoons of sediment in
the bottom At the rate it was going, it would take 80 years before the
sediment reached the electric elements, which is bad with electric WH.
With gas it's different I guess because the flame is underneath. )

Actually my diptube was fine after 8 years, Is this what's bothering
you?
http://voices.yahoo.com/how-replace-...p-8819775.html

If your WH is made during the problem years and your worried about it
falling apart and clogging screens, it's not enough to feed the water
heater cold water, you have to remove the old dip tube too, don't you.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/plumbi...tubes/view-all
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...-dip-tube.html

Despite what this says, mine is not 3 feet it's over 4.5 feet. and then
another 14" for the curly part at the bottom. It's almost as tall as
the water heater. For gas it would be shorter because the gas flame
takes up space underneath.

Newton wrote:
Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water
input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a
TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old
unused inlet on top.

Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom
to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to
have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.

Thank you.

I just watch this weekend's episode of Ask This Old House. They did more or
less what you are asking to do...sort of.

Try this link. If it doesn't take you directly to this week's episode,
search for "Irrigation, Heat Pump" and watch the second part, the part
about installing a heat pump on a water heater.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/a...eo/0,,,00.html

They installed a heat pump on a water heater and used a special single
entry valve in place of the drain valve. The single entry valve not only
let water flow from the tank to the heat pump it also allowed the water
from the heat pump to flow back into the tank through the "pipe in a pipe"
system. In addition, it had a drain valve on the end to allow the tank to
be drained.

It looks something like the valve in the middle of this PDF (scroll down to
the bottom of page 1) but with a drain valve on the end instead of the
rubber piece.

http://www.heatinghelp.com/files/pos...sion-valve.pdf

jamesgang wrote:
On Sunday, January 12, 2014 5:16:27 PM UTC-5, Newton wrote:
Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old unused inlet on top.



Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.



Thank you.

If you can get the drain out you can do that. On old hw heaters I often can't get any of the things threaded into the pipe threads off without it stripping most of the thread out. Probably depends on your water quality though. Good luck and let us know if you are successful.



If the drain has a hose tap on it and you don't want to risk stripping
the tank opening threads by unscrewing the tap you could couple to the
tap's outlet with a female hose to NPT pipe thread fitting like this one:

http://tinyurl.com/mttle7q

Plumb it up, open the tap and you're good to go.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

Jeff Wisnia wrote:


Sorry, I didn't get the TinyURL quite right.

It is:

http://tinyurl.com/n3gtt2e

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

On Sun, 12 Jan 2014 14:16:27 -0800 (PST), Newton
wrote in

Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old unused inlet on top.

Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.

Thank you.

One thing you can count on is stirring up all the gunk that has
settled at the bottom of the tank. You will have it mixed in with you
hot water.
--
Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers
and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one.
Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those
newspapers delivered to your door every morning.

Well. the link to This Old House from DerbyDad demonstrates that one *can* safely remove a boiler tap, *and* one *can* inlet water from the bottom. Seeing is believing. Thanks DD for this.

Re getting stirred-up sediment in the output, I don't see how that would happen as the outlet is still at the top. That's a long way up for the heavy sediment to go. Besides, a working dip tube delivers the water near the bottom anyway. That's the point of it.

Finally, to Mr. Philo: 75 Gal HWH is big *and* heavy, without the water. I put it in (empty) myself. If you think it's not, maybe you could come here and tip it while I watch how you do it. ;-)

On Monday, January 13, 2014 8:40:08 AM UTC-6, CRNG wrote:



One thing you can count on is stirring up all the gunk that has

settled at the bottom of the tank. You will have it mixed in with your

hot water.

Since the water inlet is at the bottom anyway and the outlet is on top...it should make little difference.

Newton wrote:
Well. the link to This Old House from DerbyDad demonstrates that one
*can* safely remove a boiler tap, *and* one *can* inlet water from the
bottom. Seeing is believing. Thanks DD for this.

Re getting stirred-up sediment in the output, I don't see how that would
happen as the outlet is still at the top. That's a long way up for the
heavy sediment to go. Besides, a working dip tube delivers the water
near the bottom anyway. That's the point of it.

Finally, to Mr. Philo: 75 Gal HWH is big *and* heavy, without the water.
I put it in (empty) myself. If you think it's not, maybe you could come
here and tip it while I watch how you do it. ;-)

The question about sediment was addressed in the ATOH segment. Since the
special valve they used is essentially a pipe-within-a-pipe which limits
the size of the outlet pipe going to the heat pump, there was some concern
about the sediment. The answer was that the tank might need to be flushed
more often to ensure that the sediment didn't clog the outlet pipe.

I am aware that the difference between your application and the ATOH
application is that you won't be taking water from the bottom of the tank,
but I wanted to point out that the sediment issue was indeed addressed in
that episode.

On Sunday, January 12, 2014 10:42:41 PM UTC-5, micky wrote:
On Sun, 12 Jan 2014 14:16:27 -0800 (PST), Newton

wrote:



Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old unused inlet on top.



Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.



Thank you.



How much headroom do you have?



I think 18 inches is easily enough, and now that the topic has come up,

I think my 10" would be enough. I'll just have to bend the dip tube a

little more. It is once clear plastic, now dirty everywhere



I had an A.O Smith water heater, and now I have a Sears WH. I think

it's made by AOSmith because it's the only one I could find that has the

input and output the same distance apart as the original. And the

owners' manuals were very similar with the same drawings and pictures,

iirc.



When I tore the first Sears one apart, I saved the dip tub and it's

pretty flexible. I have a big storage shelf hanging from the ceiling

above the WH so I only have about 10" head room and I think it would be

enough. Like Chris says, you put it in at an angle until in my case,

only 10" are left.



My dip tube goes to the bottom and then towards the permimeter, and then

bends to swirl the water around the bottom, which iirc is suppose to

pick up sediment** The last 2" are molded into a sort of nozzle. But

before you replace a diptube, if the replacment is not symmetric, find

out how yours is oriented, and mark the top of the tube so you can

orient it as intended. In my case that would mean not pointing the

open end to the center or the outside, but parallel to the outside so it

made the water swirl.



** (although that would clog screens too? Maybe the idea is to swirl

it around when it is still microscopic, so it exits with the hot water,

and it's too small to clog anything?? ) When I tore the second water

htr apart after 8 years (probably a mistake to replace it. Maybe only

electrical parts were bad and I got confused, or maybe the dip tube had

come off (there is damage at the top, but I might have made that during

destruction.) there were only about 2 or 3 tablespoons of sediment in

the bottom At the rate it was going, it would take 80 years before the

sediment reached the electric elements, which is bad with electric WH.

With gas it's different I guess because the flame is underneath. )



Actually my diptube was fine after 8 years, Is this what's bothering

you?

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-replace-...p-8819775.html



If your WH is made during the problem years and your worried about it

falling apart and clogging screens, it's not enough to feed the water

heater cold water, you have to remove the old dip tube too, don't you.



http://www.familyhandyman.com/plumbi...tubes/view-all

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...-dip-tube.html



Kind of what I was wondering too. Is this a problem with new WH's
that you would install today? Or just a problem some had in the past?
You would think by now they would have a dip tube solution that would
last the life of the tank. Personally, I've never had a dip tube fail.

On Mon, 13 Jan 2014 07:14:32 -0800 (PST), Bob_Villa
wrote in


On Monday, January 13, 2014 8:40:08 AM UTC-6, CRNG wrote:



One thing you can count on is stirring up all the gunk that has

settled at the bottom of the tank. You will have it mixed in with your

hot water.

Since the water inlet is at the bottom anyway and the outlet is on top...it should make little difference.

Seems like it would depend on the size/weight of the sediment. Most
of the sediment I've ever seen come out of a tank drain was pretty
light and small. It looked like it could be readily re-suspended. I
guess the OP can check what it looks like by draining a few gallons
from the bottom of the tank.
--
Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers
and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one.
Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those
newspapers delivered to your door every morning.

Newton writes:

Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold
water input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would
include a TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also
would cap old unused inlet on top.

Reason for this is to mitigate damaged dip tube. I do not have
headroom to replace dip tube. Heater is 75 Gal (very heavy) and I
prefer not to have to tip it to permit insertion of the new dip tube.

Just watched an Ask This Old House episode where they used a heat
exchanger to supply warm water to a water heater through the drain
hole.

So, I don't think feeding water in through the drain is a problem.

--
Dan Espen

" wrote:

.... major snippage occurred...


Kind of what I was wondering too. Is this a problem with new WH's
that you would install today? Or just a problem some had in the past?
You would think by now they would have a dip tube solution that would
last the life of the tank. Personally, I've never had a dip tube fail.

I had a dip tube fail on an A.O. Smith water heater about 20 years ago.
When I replaced the water heater (it was pretty old and I wanted a bigger
one anyway) I pulled the old dip tube just for fun. If I recall correctly
it was about 6 inches long.

That means that I was essentially splashing cold water right onto the hot
water at the top of the tank and then drawing it off immediately. A hot
shower lasted about a minute or so and it was lukewarm from then on.

wrote:
Philo - I installed the thing myself. 75 gal AO Smith. It's heavy
empty. Trust me.

Robert , I had a simil;ar situation . I used an NPT to Compression fitting
, reamed it out so the tubing would pass thru , and used soft copper tubing
.. Straighten it as you feed it thru the fitting already installed in your
tank until you feel it bottom out then back it off a little . It's also
nice to give the bottom end just a bit of bend so the water swirls at the
bottom instead of causing turbulence that might douse a shower user with a
cold surge . Mark the tubing so you can orient that bend ...
--
Snag



---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
Newton wrote:
Well. the link to This Old House from DerbyDad demonstrates that one
*can* safely remove a boiler tap, *and* one *can* inlet water from the
bottom. Seeing is believing. Thanks DD for this.

Re getting stirred-up sediment in the output, I don't see how that would
happen as the outlet is still at the top. That's a long way up for the
heavy sediment to go. Besides, a working dip tube delivers the water
near the bottom anyway. That's the point of it.

Finally, to Mr. Philo: 75 Gal HWH is big *and* heavy, without the water.
I put it in (empty) myself. If you think it's not, maybe you could come
here and tip it while I watch how you do it. ;-)

The question about sediment was addressed in the ATOH segment. Since the
special valve they used is essentially a pipe-within-a-pipe which limits
the size of the outlet pipe going to the heat pump, there was some concern
about the sediment. The answer was that the tank might need to be flushed
more often to ensure that the sediment didn't clog the outlet pipe.

I am aware that the difference between your application and the ATOH
application is that you won't be taking water from the bottom of the tank,
but I wanted to point out that the sediment issue was indeed addressed in
that episode.

Only problem that I see is that if the existing tap is used, the volume of
water will be restricted by the size of that tap vs. the inlet pipe.
However, this doesn't sound like one of those repairs that is going to be
expected to last a long time if one dip tube has already failed.

Tomsic

On Mon, 13 Jan 2014 08:17:28 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:



Actually my diptube was fine after 8 years, Is this what's bothering

you?

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-replace-...p-8819775.html



If your WH is made during the problem years and your worried about it

falling apart and clogging screens, it's not enough to feed the water

heater cold water, you have to remove the old dip tube too, don't you.



http://www.familyhandyman.com/plumbi...tubes/view-all

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...-dip-tube.html



Kind of what I was wondering too. Is this a problem with new WH's
that you would install today? Or just a problem some had in the past?
You would think by now they would have a dip tube solution that would
last the life of the tank. Personally, I've never had a dip tube fail.

I had meant to quote the second link "Faulty dip tubes in water heaters
made between 1993 and 1997 may cause hot water problems and clogging at
faucets."

"If you have hot water problems (loss of water temperature and/or loss
of water pressure at water delivery points) and your water heater was
made between 1993 and 1997, you have a lot of company. During that time,
nearly all the major water heater manufacturers were buying the same
defective plastic dip tubes from the same manufacturer and installing
them in their gas and electric units. Unfortunately, depending on your
water chemistry, its pH and the temperature setting of the water heater,
these tubes eventually break, crumble and/or dissolve into various size
pieces.

The pieces clog strainers and filter screens on appliances and faucets,
and the partial or complete absence of the dip tube severely harms water
heater performance.

The role of the dip tube is to direct incoming cold replacement water to
the bottom of the tank for heating. While it warms, the dense, cold
water stays naturally segregated from the warmer, lighter water floating
on top. The water for faucets and appliances comes from the hot layer on
top. If the dip tube is missing, the cold incoming water mixes with the
hot water at the top of the tank and you wind up feeding the house with
tepid instead of hot water.

If you’re having hot water problems, first see if you have a water
heater made during those bad dip tube years. Often, the first four
numbers on the serial number are the month and year of manufacture. If
the third and fourth numbers are 93, 94, 95, 96 or 97, it could be
affected. If you have a bad unit, there are two options. First, replace
the water heater and flush all the faucet screens and filters throughout
the house. (If your water heater is more than 10 years old, it’s nearing
the end of its life, so it’s probably worth replacing.) New water
heaters have dip tubes that’ll last as long as the water heater.

Or second, replace the defective dip tube with a cross-linked
polyethylene one and flush the debris out of the water heater and the
screens and filters. You may have to flush the system more than once. "

or the third:

"That White Crud in Your Faucets May Be a Sign of a Decaying Hot Water
Heater

My friends were certain that my hot water heater was plugged with
calcium precipitate, and that I would need to purchase a new unit.
Instead, the problem was a ten-dollar part that required about one-hour
to replace. It's called a "Cold-Water dip-tube", and chances are good
that you'll need to replace yours as well.

A cold-water dip-tube is a three-foot plastic pipe that routes cold
water to the bottom of the hot-water heater. The cold water is heated,
and then rises to the top of the tank, where it flows out to the house.
Without that pipe, incoming cold water would immediately mix with
outgoing hot water. Not very efficient.

In the mid 90's, many hot water heaters used defective plastic
dip-tubes, and by 2010, they are breaking down into a fine plastic
granulate. This is the first clue that your dip-tube is defective '"
you'll be noticing a reduced flow through many of your hot-water
faucets, caused by a build-up of these white granules. If you unscrew
the screen from the end of the faucet, you can flush this plastic from
the screen, and flow volume will be immediately restored '" but only for
a week or so. After that, you'll again find a build-up of plastic bits.
My friends and I mistook this for calcium carbonate particulates.

A shortage of hot water is another sign of a failing dip-tube. Since the
water heater isn't working efficiently, the temptation is to turn up the
water heater thermostat. But that doesn't solve the problem."

Instructions follow althought the part about unscrewing the diptube
doesn't seem to apply to my WH from 20 years ago.

On Mon, 13 Jan 2014 10:34:10 -0600, CRNG
wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jan 2014 07:14:32 -0800 (PST), Bob_Villa
wrote in


On Monday, January 13, 2014 8:40:08 AM UTC-6, CRNG wrote:



One thing you can count on is stirring up all the gunk that has

settled at the bottom of the tank. You will have it mixed in with your

hot water.

Since the water inlet is at the bottom anyway and the outlet is on top...it should make little difference.

Seems like it would depend on the size/weight of the sediment. Most
of the sediment I've ever seen come out of a tank drain was pretty
light and small. It looked like it could be readily re-suspended. I
guess the OP can check what it looks like by draining a few gallons
from the bottom of the tank.

More than one person here has advised not to do that. Crud gets in the
vavle they say and then the drain valve can't be closed. I've never
tried.

replying to Newton , Newton Vuden wrote:

Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water
input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a
TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old
unused inlet on top.

Well, about two months ago, I rerouted the cold water input into the
bottom of the tank via the drain hole.
While hole was exposed, I could see (!!!) dip tube sitting on the
diagonal at bottom of tank.

Since I did this, symptoms gone,
No problems.
Virtually endless hot water.
It's *good* !




--

On Sat, 29 Mar 2014 18:44:01 +0000, Newton Vuden
wrote:

replying to Newton , Newton Vuden wrote:

Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water
input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a
TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old
unused inlet on top.

Well, about two months ago, I rerouted the cold water input into the
bottom of the tank via the drain hole.
While hole was exposed, I could see (!!!) dip tube sitting on the
diagonal at bottom of tank.

Since I did this, symptoms gone,
No problems.
Virtually endless hot water.
It's *good* !

I'm so happy for you.
--
Definition of a camel: A horse designed by a committee

Newton Vuden wrote:
replying to Newton , Newton Vuden wrote:

Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water
input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a
TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old
unused inlet on top.

Well, about two months ago, I rerouted the cold water input into the
bottom of the tank via the drain hole.
While hole was exposed, I could see (!!!) dip tube sitting on the
diagonal at bottom of tank.

Since I did this, symptoms gone, No problems.
Virtually endless hot water.
It's *good* !




Hi,
To the OP, Cold water dip tube is closer to the bottom any way. Isn't
that enough? Find a diagram of hot water tank cut off side view, see
for your self.

I think what you did will be OK.

I was thinking of cutting the tube into halves or thirds and then using epoxy to glue the portions back together as you reassembled them over the water heater. But, the problem with that idea is that the couplings needed to reassemble the dip tube would have to fit through the threaded hole in the water heater, and that could require that you use smaller tubing than what the dip tube is made of, and that might cause a problem with low water pressure at the hot water taps.

The problem is that now, you won't be able to flush your water heater even with a drain valve tee'd off of your water input. That's because when flushing a water heater, the cold water coming in at the end of the drip tube is supposed to stir up any sediment collected on the bottom of the tank. In your case, opening the drain valve won't result in any dirty water being drained out of the tank since there won't be anything to stir up the sediment at the bottom of the tank. So, my advice is to just not bother flushing your water heater any more as it'll only result in you wasting water. Besides, biggest hunk of people never bother flushing their water heaters anyway, and their water heaters still last just as long.

On Sat, 29 Mar 2014 13:25:56 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Sat, 29 Mar 2014 18:44:01 +0000, Newton Vuden
m wrote:

replying to Newton , Newton Vuden wrote:

Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water
input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a
TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old
unused inlet on top.

Well, about two months ago, I rerouted the cold water input into the
bottom of the tank via the drain hole.
While hole was exposed, I could see (!!!) dip tube sitting on the
diagonal at bottom of tank.

Since I did this, symptoms gone,
No problems.
Virtually endless hot water.
It's *good* !

I'm so happy for you.
All water heaters are fed from the bottom - the pipe goes in the top
for convenience, but routs the cold water to the bottom. Good water
heaters have a "turbulator" at the bottom of the "dip tube" that
causes the water to swirl in the bottom of the tank to prevent
sediment build-up. You loose that when you feed tangentially from the
drain fitting - but if the dip tube has fallen off you've lost that
already anyway, and feeding tangentially at the bottom is better than
dumping the cold water on top of the hot

Oren posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP


On Sat, 29 Mar 2014 18:44:01 +0000, Newton Vuden
wrote:

replying to Newton , Newton Vuden wrote:

Is there anything wrong or dangerous about my idea to supply cold water
input to a gas Hot Water Heater via the drain opening? I would include a
TEE and a boiler tap so as to permit future draining. Also would cap old
unused inlet on top.

Well, about two months ago, I rerouted the cold water input into the
bottom of the tank via the drain hole.
While hole was exposed, I could see (!!!) dip tube sitting on the
diagonal at bottom of tank.

Since I did this, symptoms gone,
No problems.
Virtually endless hot water.
It's *good* !

I'm so happy for you.

It is a warming story. And he didn't water it down!

--
Tekkie

posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

"turbulator"


Heh heh heh, I thought of my turdulator...

--
Tekkie

On 3/30/2014 4:27 PM, Tekkie® wrote:
Well, about two months ago, I rerouted the cold water input into the
bottom of the tank via the drain hole.
While hole was exposed, I could see (!!!) dip tube sitting on the
diagonal at bottom of tank.

Since I did this, symptoms gone,
No problems.
Virtually endless hot water.
It's *good* !

I'm so happy for you.

It is a warming story. And he didn't water it down!

Tank you, warmly. I mean, I don't want to be a
diptube about it, and all. Bottoms up! Wow, all
that drained me. But, you get the sediment.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..